Look in the medicine cabinet of most American homes and you're bound to see the "GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare LP, Pittsburgh, PA" label on at least one or two products.
And on Thursday, the division of GlaxoSmithKline, London, that generates $1.6 billion in U.S. sales, dedicated a Moon Township building that will ensure those labels remain on products as diverse as Aquafresh toothpaste and Oxy acne treatment for years to come.
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, the over-the-counter products making division of the world's second biggest pharmaceutical company, dedicated its new, $30 million North American headquarters. The operation, previously located in two separate buildings at the junction of Route 60 and Route 79 near Crafton, is the new office space for 500 GSK employees in the Pittsburgh region.
"It's not always easy to get people to come to work in Pittsburgh, but once they get here, they seem to like it," said Manfred Scheske, president of the consumer health care division's North American operations. "We have executives coming from New York who, once they get here, wouldn't think of going back."
The region almost lost GSK's significant presence two years ago when SmithKline Beechum and Glaxo Wellcome merged to form GlaxoSmithKline. The company looked at Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and North Carolina as potential sites for the merged company's North American headquarters.
Ultimately, GSK officials decided to locate the parent company in Philadelphia and the consumer products division in Pittsburgh. The company has had a presence in Pittsburgh since 1977, when the Beechum Group purchased Merck & Co.'s Calgon Consumer Products unit.
"It's a big step. The company has made a big commitment to Pittsburgh," said Janice McSherry, who works in the company's legal department. "When you work here, there really is a feeling that it is a hometown company."
Scheske said the company has built itself into a health care powerhouse by building strong bands, through mergers and acquisitions and by successfully switching products from prescription to over-the-counter products. Most notably, the company has become a dominant player in smoking cessation products after getting over-the-counter status for its Nicorette and NicodermCQ stop-smoking aids in 1995.
The new, 150,000-square-foot facility includes state-of-the-art office designs, a fitness center, conference center and cafe. In hopes of improving employee communication and morale, the company designed the office to include conference areas where employees can work away from their desks and included windows in every office.
"We have a lot of space, and we want to use it. And you will notice that we don't like walls," Scheske said. "You have also seen a lot of glass, and that stands for the openness of our company."
Yesterday's guest of honor was Alan Bean, a crew member on NASA's Apollo 12 mission and the fourth man to walk on the moon.
"There are 6.4 billion people living down there right now, and every one of them wants to do more, feel better and live longer," Bean said as he displayed a photograph of Earth taken from space. "So I think GSK is in a growth business."
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Source: GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare
